What a bold statement, but probably true. Leonardo da Vinci's drawing about the proportions of the human body, "The Vitruvian man", can be seen everywhere. Leonardo's drawing is probably the most commercial drawing ever. Therefore I just wanted to go crazy and show you all the incredible stuff you can find. The Vitruvian Man can be seen on tea cups, caps, cufflinks, fridge magnets, mouse-pads,ties, T-shirts, umbrellas, pendents, gift wraps, jigsaw puzzles, man charms, tapestries for on the wall, watches, to name a few!!!There are some variations on the theme as well. Like : The Rock God Range Baseball Jersey!!!! for instance...
(tell nobody else, but I had a t-shirt with the Vitruvian man as well as a kid,and wore it till the sleeves fell of, and even then I used it as a burlap to clean my brushes). The T-shirt was bought for me by my parents when we visited Venice. - A wonderful and magical city.
Leonardo da Vinci Vetruvian man though is in the Gallerie dell'Accademia also in Venice, but sadly enough like most works on paper, is displayed only occasionally.
Besides the Vetruvian man de Galleria dellĂcademia is in the possesion of the David from Michelangelo as well.
Leonardo's drawing is based on the relationship of the ideal human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius his Book "De Architectura". Vitruvius described the human figure as being the principal source of proportion among the Classical orders of architecture.
Although there is no official title for the drawing, it is know as "The Vitrivius Man" in honor of the Roman architect.
This drawing shows a perfect blend of art and science during the Renaissance and shows Leonardo's interest in proportion. In addition, this picture represents a cornerstone of Leonardo's attempts to relate man to nature.
Text from The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci which is written in mirror writing :
" * From the roots of his hair to the bottom of his chin is 1/10 of a man's height;
* from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head is 1/8 of his height;
* from the top of the breast to the roots of the hair will be the 7th part of the whole man.
* From the nipples to the top of the head will be the 4th part of man.
* The greatest width of the shoulders contains in itself the 4th part of man.
* From the elbow to the tip of the hand will be the 5th part of a man;
and from the elbow to the angle of the armpit will be the 8th part of man.
* The whole hand will be the 10th part of the man.
* The distance from the bottom of the chin to the nose and from the roots of the hair to the eyebrows is, in each case the same, and like the ear, a third of the face."
In this drawing you see how Leonardo tried to capture science and mathematics (which was still an occult science) into the body of men. In other drawings of Leonardo you'll find the same attitude towards life and art. Combining the arts and science and seeing it as a whole.
And last but not least an amazing book:
